KNSO
KNSO, virtual channel 51 (VHF digital channel 11), is a Telemundo owned-and-operated television station serving Fresno, California, United States that is licensed to Merced. The station is owned by the NBC Owned Television Stations subsidiary of NBCUniversal (itself a subsidiary of Comcast). KNSO's studios are located on River Park Place in northwest Fresno, and its transmitter is located near Meadow Lakes. History The station first signed on the air on March 22, 1996; originally operating as an independent station, it was originally owned by Sainte Partners II, L.P. During its first two years on the air, KNSO aired religious programming during the morning hours and Asian language programming in the afternoons, as well as programming from the California Music Channel. These programs were largely simulcast via San Francisco independent station KTSF-TV. In July 1998, KNSO entered into a local marketing agreement with Pappas Telecasting Companies, then-owner of Fox affiliate KMPH-TV (channel 26); Pappas then signed an affiliation agreement to make KNSO the market's WB affiliate, taking the affiliation from Clovis-based KGMC (channel 43). On January 1, 2001, KNSO swapped affiliations with KFRE-TV (channel 59), becoming a Telemundo affiliate; shortly beforehand, Pappas entered into an LMA with KFRE, resulting in the WB affiliation being relocated to KFRE. The station became a Telemundo owned-and-operated station, when the network's then-new parent company NBC bought the station in May 2003. In March 2004, KNSO vacated its McKinley Road studios and moved to a new facility in North Fresno at 30 River Park Place. The station also implemented an advanced operational environment, making KNSO one of the most advanced television stations in the country. This experimental operation system allowed for a "limited intervention" master control center, which involves a highly automated system of operation. The station automation systems are almost completely self-reliant and provide for little to no assistance by the station personnel in running the on-air switching, monitoring and logging. This system utilizes the Florical Airboss, centralized sales and traffic systems, and various Grass Valley Group broadcast systems, including the Profile XP and Concerto. This experimental operation system has proved successful, and has now been implemented in other station operation control centers. ZGS Communications took over the operations of KNSO (as well as San Antonio sister station KVDA) on May 1, 2009, although NBC retained the licenses to both stations. Serestar Communications assumed the operations of the station on May 1, 2014, under a joint sales and time brokerage agreement that was to run through December 31, 2020; NBCUniversal retained the KNSO license. On December 6, 2018, it was announced that NBCUniversal would terminate its local marketing agreement with Serestar in early 2019, making KNSO a full Telemundo O&O for the first time since 2009. This was in conjunction with NBCUniversal's purchase of Serestar-owned Telemundo affiliates KTMW and KULX-CD in Salt Lake City and KCSO-LD in Sacramento. The transaction was completed and the LMA terminated on March 5, 2019. Category:Telemundo affiliated stations Category:Ion Television affiliated stations Category:Merced Category:Fresno Category:California Category:Channel 51 Category:Television channels and stations established in 1996 Category:1996 Category:NBCUniversal Category:Former independent stations Category:Former WB affiliates Category:UHF Category:California Spanish Stations Category:Ion Television California